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Opening up higher education in Rwanda: The potential contribution of Extension Massive Open Online Courses (xMOOCs), Open Educational Resources (OER) units in the MIT Open Courseware and different stakeholders

Bernard NkuyubwatsiPhD Candidate, University of LeicesterEmail: nkuyubwatsi1[at]gmail.com 5th GO-GN Seminar, 10-11 April 2016, Kraków, Poland

About this presentation• Problem statement

• Research questions

• Study design

• Analysis

• Results

• Transformative outcomes beyond research results

• Post viva amendments

• Conclusion

Problem StatementShortage funds for pub high ed Shortage funds for student loans

Photo: National Institute of Rwanda (2014, p. 49): CC BY

From 7 to 1 public university in 2013

In 2014/2015, 42.7% of student admitted in Public higher ed dropped out or suspended because they were denied student loans

Research questions

1. Which MOOCs can potentially be adapted for use in opening up Rwandan higher education?

2. Which OER units can potentially be adapted for use in opening up Rwandan higher education?

3. What is the potential contribution of different stakeholders in Rwandan higher education to opening up this level of education?

Subsidiary research question for RQ 3• To what extent are learners willing to engage in self-

determined open learning?

• To what extent are academics at the University of Rwanda willing to contribute to OER and open courses, and adopt open education roles?

• To what extent are the University of Rwanda’s leaders and policy makers willing to develop an institutional open education policy and strategy that recognise academics’ open educational practices/roles and credibly certify competencies developed via self-determined open learning?

Research Design

Analysis

Phase 1 Results

Findings on MOOCs across 6 analytical category

Potential contribution of MOOCs

Reading resources in the MIT OCW OER units

Openness in OER Units

Challenge of World Poverty: 22 videos & their transcripts released under CC BY-NC-SA

Phase 2 results

Learner’s willingness to engage in self-determined open learning practices

Condition for such engagement

Academics willingness to contribute to OER

Conditions to engage in different OEP

Policy makers/leaders’ willingness to support assessment of open learning for credit and recognise academics’ OEP• Not identified in interview and policy documents analysed:

• Existing regulation for open and distance education programme: Mostly copied from the regulations for conventional education

• Some of these policies are decontextualised:

The University of Rwanda (2014, pp. 37)

Beyond research

1. National policy on open, distance and eLearning

Screenshots taken and used with the tweet author’s permission

2. From intention to drop out to a distinction

3. From a pass grade to a first class

• From secondary education completion with a pass grade to undergraduate education completion with

a first class

Credentials voluntarily shared for authenticity verification

Post viva amendmentsIn the light of a framework for opening up higher ed. collaboratively

Nkuyubwatsi (2015); Nkuyubwatsi et al. (2015)

* Nkuyubwatsi (2015) Nkuyubwatsi et al. (2015)

Summary: Research• 2 MOOCs were found to have the potential to be

adapted for use in opening up higher education

• 1 OER unit was found to have the potential to be adapted for use in opening up higher education

• Learners were willing to engage in different self-determined open learning practices

• Academics were willing to engage in different OEP

• No willingness to support assessment of open learning practices for credit or recognise academics OEP could be identified.

Summary: Parallel Development

• A policy on Open, Distance and eLearning• A move from intention to dropout to

completing an online programme with a distinction

• A move from a secondary education completion with a pass grade to undergraduate education completion with a first class.

ReferencesCreswell, W.J. (2014) Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th edn). Los Angeles: Sage.

Nkuyubwatsi, B. (2015) Fostering collaborative investment in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), in Jansen, D. & Teixeira, A. (eds), Position Papers for European Cooperation on MOOCs: Overview of Position Papers on the Opportunities and Characteristics for European Cooperation as Presented During the HOME Conference in Porto November 2014, pp. 44-57. Available from http://home.eadtu.eu/images/Position_papers_for_European_cooperation_on_MOOCs.pdf (last accessed 11 April 2016).

Nkuyubwatsi, B. (2016) Positioning extension Massive Open Online Courses (xMOOCs) within the open access and the lifelong learning agendas in a developing setting, The Journal of Learning for Development, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 14-36. Available from http://jl4d.org/index.php/ejl4d (last accessed 11 April 2016).

Nkuyubwatsi, B., Ndayishimiye, V., Ntirenganya, B.J., Umwungerimwiza, D.Y. (2015) Towards innovation in digital and open scholarship for non-rivalrous lifelong learning and supporting open learning: The case of the Open Scholars Network, eLearning Papers, Issue 44, pp. 53-59. Available from http://openeducationeuropa.eu/en/paper/teacher-s-role-educational-innovation (last accessed 11 April 2016).

The University of Rwanda (2014c) Policy and procedures on academic staff appointments and promotions. Available from http://cbe.ur.ac.rw/images/pdf/policy/Revised_Policy_and_Procedures_on_Academic_Staff_Appointments_and_Promotions.pdf (last accessed 11 April 2016).

Thank you!